


The Chair

by AllaboutFinn (Savoury_Jelly)



Category: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Genre: F/M, Finnrey fridays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 20:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13107594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savoury_Jelly/pseuds/AllaboutFinn
Summary: "What does your chair do?!"





	The Chair

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on John's hilarious "Chair story," Which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuFIuD2eeDI

Finn Artorias walked into the mall with a spring in his step. It had been a long time since he'd had anything to celebrate, and now it seemed all the stars were aligning. Finally, after years of largely thankless hard work, strategic ass-kissing, and a little judicious negotiating, he was now a junior partner in the firm. The new title came with a not-insignificant pay rise and a bonus, and Finn decided he was going to treat himself. He'd closed on his condo a few months prior, had paid off his speeder, and he felt it was time to turn toward what Poe called 'investment' pieces to furnish his place, rather than the cheap, utilitarian pieces that had sustained him since college.

**Plutt's Furniture Bazaar (and Emporium!)** was a little nook at the back of the Greater Cantonica Shopping Centre, and it was in this store that he had seen  _the chair_. Sleek and beautifully rendered with delicate twists and turns of metal and leather, he'd nearly drooled the first time he'd passed the little store and saw the beautiful chair in the window. He hadn't had time then to go in and price the chair, but as every store in the GCSC was high-end, he imagined it would cost a pretty credit. It was good thing that his bonus had been transferred to his account that morning.

Smiling and with a jaunty step, he entered the Bazaar (and Emporium!), which was rather more dark and disordered than it seemed on the outside. It was also almost empty, with a few customers milling around, and a bored-looking Teedo sitting on a high stool in the back of the store keeping watch - perhaps he was security?

Finn's smile wilted, however, when he noticed that the chair was no longer displayed in the window. Looking around warily, he wondered if maybe it was out of stock. Perhaps they could special-order it for him? It seemed that kind of place.

Just as he was about to approach the Teedo - who seemed to be the only employee in the store - Finn registered a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see a young woman in a black overall approaching him. Her smile was guarded, but still somehow warm, and as she drew closer, Finn was stricken by the delicate beauty of her face, and her unusual eyes. They were an almost tawny color and seemed to be the only luminescent things in the dim atmosphere.

“Hi! Welcome to the Bazaar. I’m Rey. Is there something that I can help you find?”

Finn held himself a little taller, telling himself that he was just practicing good posture.

“Finn. Good to meet you.” His hand met hers in a firm grip. “I’m looking for a chair ...”

“Of course.” She smiled at him, and he felt his heart somersault. “Accent, dining, or lounge? We have a wide variety of each.”

“Oh, right. I see.” He looked vaguely around. “Actually, there was a chair in a window - I mean, in  _this_ window, the display window. I was interested in buying it, but I don’t see it in the showroom. Do you have a catalog or anything? Would I be able to order it?”

“Most of our chairs are special order.” She was giving him something of a strange look. “It was in the main window? Could you describe what it looked like?”

Finn did, using possibly more hand gestures than was strictly necessary. To his surprise and unease, the woman’s smile seemed to fade away as he neared the end of his description.

“That sounds like the Excalibur Chaise,” she said. “We, er, do have the model. We decided to move it to the rear of the store to switch up the display.”

“Brilliant!” Finn was confused at Rey’s sudden reticence, but he was thrilled that they still had  _his_ chair. “Could I see it?”

Rey started to speak, but then shook her head slightly. “Of course. This way.”

He followed her to the back of the store, where they threaded around some a few pieces that were a bit more avant-garde than Finn personally liked and a few long low benches that seemed as if they would be at home at a Mos Eisley bordello. Finn’s eyes widened when they cleared a few dark-colored end tables and he saw  _it_ , sprawled innocently in a forgotten corner.

The  _chair_.

“This is it.” He could hardly contain his excitement. “Can I try it out? I mean, just sit on it and get the feel of it?”

“Of course.”

He glanced at her, hearing the note of doubt in her voice. But he brushed it off as he eyed the object of his desire. It was a bit lower to the ground than he would have expected, but the delicate craftsmanship was evident and it contrasted nicely with the nubby look of the dark leather.

Finn gingerly lowered himself into the chair, exhaling slowly and closing his eyes in bliss. It surrounded him like a cocoon and he allowed himself to fully sink in. He could certainly see this chair in his living area, the focal point of the room, and his go-to for watching holos after a hard day at the office.

“This is great,” he said dreamily. “I love this chair. Does it come in other colors? Just curious.”

“In addition to Shadow, which is the color of the model, it comes in Puce, Hoth Blue, and Mustafar Maroon.” There was a pause. “But, sir, I ... I have to tell you ...”

The hesitation in her voice made him open his eyes. “Yeah?”

“The chair ...” Rey sighed softly. “I think you should know about the ... price of the chair.”

“Oh.” Finn smiled. “Right. I got a raise and a promotion, so I’m treating myself.”

“Congratulations!” Her smile was sweet, but short-lived. “But, well, the chair is ...  _quite_ expensive.”

There was an evasiveness in her tone that made Finn open his eyes. She was standing above him, looking a bit pensive. Her cheeks were pink.

“How much is the chair?”

She hesitated for a moment, and then sighed. “It’s 85,000 New Republic credits.”

For a moment, Finn thought his hearing had gone glitchy. Part of his job was to supervise some of the droids in the automation bay, and it could get very loud in there.

“It’s _what_?”

“Eighty-five thousand credits.”

Finn’s head flew up. “You’re serious? You’re _serious_. Eighty-five thousand credits for a _chair_?”

She nodded, and Finn scrambled to get up, careful not to scratch or dent anything.

“This is kriffing crazy! Even if someone had the money, do you really think they’d spend all of that on a chair? Eighty-five thousand just to sit down?”

She shrugged. “If I had 85,000 credits, I certainly wouldn’t spend it on this or any other chair.”

“What does it do then?” He eyed the chair critically. “Can it jump to hyperspace? Does it transform into an astromech droid? Is it Force sensitive?”

Rey stifled a smile. “No, sorry. It’s just a chaise longue made of leather and metal. No special powers.”

“Do you sell a lot of these?”

She shook her head slowly. “In all the time I’ve been here, I don’t think we’ve even sold one.”

“Then why keep it around? It’s a nice-looking chair, but nothing like this is worth that price.”

“Well, it’s an artisan piece,” she explained. “It highlights the artistic integrity of the designer, and it’s trying to convey …”

But she slid into sudden silence. Finn studied her curiously, startled at the sudden change in her eyes. There were hot lights in them now.

“You know what? This _is_ ridiculous. This _chair_ is ridiculous.” Her voice was threaded with anger. “We took it out of the display because people would come in wanting to buy it and then go off when they heard the price – as if it was my fault the thing is completely ridiculously priced!”

“Well, it’s not _your_ fault. Those people were kriffheads. You just work here, you know?”

“Exactly!” Rey blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t even think the chair’s that great, honestly. It looks good, but it’s got really poor lower back support.”

“Ah.”

“If you’re really looking for a chaise longue …” She looked furtively around. “Try Kanata’s Treasure Chest down the other end of the mall. She has such a nicely curated collection _and_ it’s reasonably priced. Everything in here is overpriced trash.”

“Thanks.” He filed that tidbit away. “I’m sorry we, uh, couldn’t do business.”

“That’s all right. Congrats again on your promotion.” She looked wistful. “Maybe some of your luck’ll rub off on me. I’m taking night courses at the university, and I need a better job. I barely make any commission here, which translates into making no money at all. Sometimes I only get paid in spare parts.”

Finn stared. “Spare _parts_?”

“I build speeders in my spare time,” she said. “I haven’t been able to sell any because of the fuel embargo, but maybe when that lifts …”

“Wait. You _build_ speeders? From scratch? You can fix them, too?”

“Of course. Plutt had a service center before he opened this place because of the fuel shortage. I worked there for awhile.” Her voice was wistful. “The pay was horrible there, too, but I loved the work.”

“I have a friend who has a garage where she fixes up old speeders to be use by the Starfleet level patrollers who are perimeter guards. She’s expanding and was looking for someone … I could give her a call, if you’re interested?”

“Are you serious? I’d _love_ that!” She smiled, and he was captivated by the deep dimples in her cheeks and her glimmering eyes.

Finn unearthed his portable commlink and was able to get Rose immediately. She was taken aback by the request and sounded a bit skeptical until he passed the commlink to Rey, who for the next five minutes spoke in fluent mechanic-and-engineering speak. She was beaming when she handed the device back to him with the connection broken. Rose apparently hadn’t had a desire to say goodbye to him. She was, Finn reflected, probably up to ears in refit orders.

“She asked me if I could start immediately. I can’t wait! And it works perfectly with my school schedule.”

“That’s fantastic! Glad it worked out.”

Rey gave him a speculative look. “She also said not to forget you promised her Rishian chocolate truffles from the stall on the second level.”

“Oh … right. Yeah. She has a sweet tooth, and she beat the pants off me in Thelusian charades, so I owe her.”

Rey was still looking at him. “She must be a very … close friend? I mean to hire basically a perfect stranger on your recommendation. And Rishian truffles are pricy.”

Finn looked into Rey’s eyes. The hot lights were there again, but there was a hint of something more – a something that made him almost able to taste his heartbeat.

“Rose is great. You’ll love working with her. And she is a great friend. She and her sister are like sisters to me.” He emphasized the last part. “I, uh, lost my family in the war. I’ve been pretty lucky to find a second family in Rose and her sister Paige and some other folks.”

“Oh.” Her voice was soft and her face a very becoming shade of pink. “I’m sorry about your family. I understand … I never knew my mother or father … but I’m glad that you found such a close group of friends. And thank you, again, for this. I feel so bad, though. You came in for a chair, and you’re leaving empty handed!”

“Well … maybe a late lunch or an early dinner would take the edge off the disappointment.” He paused for a second. “Especially if you were up for joining me.”

Rey smiled at him, holding out her hand in answer. As they left, she made a remark to the Teedo, which resulted in a hissed reply. Rey raised her free hand, and Finn stifled his laughter when he noticed that Rey was _not_ exactly waving goodbye.


End file.
